Card game

ABSTRACT

The present invention is offered under the name of “Pair Magic”. It is a five-card-stud game, played with at least one conventional poker deck of 52 cards. Two or more players may participate in the game. One of the players is the Banker whom other players play against. A Player who is not a Banker must place a wager playing against the Banker&#39;s hand before receiving his or her cards. The Player&#39;s hand is compared to the Banker&#39;s hand according to its unique and novel rankings, referred as the ‘pair-theme’ rankings; and the Player&#39;s wager may be settled according to any one of its predetermined rules. Players who frequently play this novel and unique game, will enjoy the simplicity and excitement that the game provides, and especially, will obtain the opportunities to sharpen their math skill.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/422,379, filed Apr. 24, 2003, now pending, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/715,887, filed Nov. 17, 2000, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/150,562, filed Sep. 10, 1998, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to wagering-type card games and, particularly to card games for use in casinos and cardrooms.

Since Poker games, Blackjack, and Baccarat are simple and yet challenging to players, they have become the most popular card games in casinos. The players, who are fond of Poker games, like the simplicity of the games, the excitements the games generate, and especially the familiar Poker rankings of the games: High Card, One Pair, Two Pair, 3 of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, 4 of a Kind and Straight Flush. The players, who love Blackjack, like the simplicity and rapid wager-resolution of the game, the player's options it offers, and especially the fun of adding up the face value of all cards to obtain the value of a Blackjack hand. The players, who embrace Baccarat, like the simplicity, rapid wager-resolution and low house advantage of the game, and especially its simple point-count rankings wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 point. Thus, combining the especial features of three said games can create a great novel game. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,042 to Lo is such great novel game that discloses these especial features.

Lo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,042 teaches that a player may place a Poker bet playing against the Banker's hand and at least one of four optional side bets betting on the value of the player's own hand. Its side-bet games are easy and fun to play; however, offering too many side bets would slow down the game, would result in players losing too fast or winning too fast and therefore the game table would be empty more often. Furthermore, its Poker Bet game is fun yet complicated to play because it requires players using a player-optimal strategy to arrange their 5-dealt cards into a 2-card Low Hand and a 3-card High Hand in an optimal way, and it would be difficult for casino dealers to manage it, because it requires the banker using a banker-optimal strategy to arrange the banker's 5-dealt cards into a 2-card Low Hand and a 5-card High Hand in an optimal way. The present invention is devised to solve these problems of such Poker Bet game.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is offered under the name of “Pair Magic”. It is a five-card-stud game, played with at least one conventional poker deck of 52 cards. Two or more players may participate in the game. One of the players is the Banker whom other players play against. A Player who is not a Banker must place a wager playing against the Banker's hand before receiving his or her cards.

The object of the game is to have a hand that outranks the opponent's hand. In Poker Bet, a Player's hand is compared to the Banker's hand according to a rankings wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows:

Rank Hand 1. 4 of a Kind 2. Full House 3. 3 of a Kind 4. Two Pair 5. One Pair 6. Point Count (no pair, from highest 9 points down to lowest 0 point)

A Player's wager may be settled according to any one of provided rules of the present invention below:

Rules 1: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid either Even Money, namely 1 to 1, if the Banker's losing hand is not 0 point, or one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is “0” point. This payoff rules yields a house advantage of 2.46%.

Rules 2: If the Banker's hand is 0 point, the Player's wager automatically wins and is paid one half of the Player's wager, 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, the Player's wager wins and is paid either Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

After at least one wager is placed, every Player and the Banker are each dealt five cards. Once delivering the Players' cards to the Players, the Dealer then turns over the Banker's cards face up with only the top card exposed. After all the Players have read their cards and have placed them face up on the appropriate spaces of the table layout, the dealer then reveals the Banker's four remaining cards, determines and settles each Player's wager against the Banker.

The object of the present invention is to create a game that is simple, exciting and relaxing, which can be enjoyed by every player.

It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides players the novel combination of partial conventional poker rankings and the simple rankings of Baccarat, and the fun of adding up the numerical value of all cards to obtain the value of a Point-Count hand.

It is another advantage of the present invention is to devise a game that balances the house advantage, great enough to give a casino a fair return on investment while not so large to give players the sense of winning.

It is also a feature of the present invention that its unique rankings—no pair Point Count, One Pair, Two Pair, 3 of a Kind and 4 of a Kind—is based on a pair-theme concept.

It is another feature of the present invention that the game offers players five cards for reading enjoyment.

It is also another feature of the present invention that the game gives players a highly enjoyable and quite relaxing gaming experience while helping them sharpen their math skill.

Other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The diagram is the whole table layout of the present invention, wherein the circle is an space where a wager is placed and the square marked ‘cards’ is where a player's cards are placed after they have been read.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment, the present invention uses a standard poker deck of 52 cards. In other embodiments, the present invention can use two or more standard poker decks of 52 cards, and thirteen different ranks of 5 of a Kind are therefore created and added to the rankings of these embodiments.

In the preferred embodiment, two or up to seven players may participate in the game and among them, one is a Banker whom other players play against. In other embodiments, two or up to the number of players where there are enough cards to be dealt into enough dealt hands of five cards to provide a dealt hand for each Player and a dealt hand for the Banker, may participate in the game and among them, one is a Banker whom other players play against.

A Player who is not the Banker must place a wager playing against the Banker's hand. After at least wager is placed, the cards, thoroughly shuffled by either a shuffling device or a dealer, are dealt into enough dealt hands of five cards to provide a dealt hand for each Player and a dealt hand for the Banker.

In the preferred embodiment, every Player and the Banker are each dealt five cards either at one time or proportionally; the cards are dealt to the Player sitting to the immediate left of the dealer, continuing in a clockwise fashion and ending with the Dealer; the cards are preferably dealt to each Player and the Banker one card at a time for five times if the cards are shuffled by a dealer; and the cards are preferably dealt to each Player and the Banker in a stack of five cards if the cards are shuffled by a shuffling device. In an embodiment, seven or eight five-card dealt hands are always dealt, regardless of the actual number of players; and some random number generation device, such as a random number generator display or a dice shaker, is used to assign the dealt hands to players to reduce the likelihood of problems in dealing. In other embodiments, every Player and the Banker may receive their cards in either one of the following fashions:

1. They receive their own four cards and one community card.

2. They receive their own three cards and two community cards.

3. They receive their own two cards and three community cards.

4. They receive their own one card and four community cards. Or

5. They receive no card their own and five community cards.

Once the dealer has delivered the cards to all players, the dealer turns over the Banker's five cards face up with only the top card exposed. After the Players have read their cards and have placed them either preferably face up or face down on the appropriate spaces of the table layout, the dealer then reveals the Banker's four remaining cards, opens the cards of the Player at the immediate right of the dealer, and settles the Player's wager. The dealer collects the losing chip(s) before paying the winning bet(s). After completing the transaction of the Player at the immediate right of the dealer, the dealer moves on and completes the transaction of the next Player, and so on. Upon the completion of all transactions, a new round of play will begin.

The object of the game is to have a hand that outranks an opponent's hand. In this game, a Player's hand is compared to the Banker's hand according to a rankings wherein ranked in descending order as follows:

Rank Hand 1. 4 of a Kind 2. Full House 3. 3 of a Kind 4. Two Pair 5. One Pair

6. Point Count (no pair, from highest 9 points down to lowest 0 point)

The ranks of 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, Two Pair, and One Pair are ranked and compared as traditional poker hands, wherein Ace is the highest ranking card, following by King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three and Two. For example, a hand of 4 Aces (AAAA8) beats a hand of 4 Kings (KKKKQ), Jacks Full House (JJJ33) beats Nines Full House (999AA), three Threes (33354) beats three Twos (22254), Two Pair of QQ552 beats Two Pair of 8866A, Two Pair of 77449 ties with Two Pair of 77449, Two Pair of 33225 beats Two Pair of 33224, One Pair of JJA54 beats One Pair of 99AKQ, One Pair of 66853 ties with One Pair of 66853, etc. These poker rankings are well known to most players.

Point Count: A hand that does not contain five unmatched cards called a point-count hand. The Point Count of a hand is determined by adding up the face value of each of the five cards together in a way like adding up the face value of cards in a Blackjack game, wherein cards, Two through Nine, count as face value (i.e., Two=2, Seven=7, Nine=9, etc.); Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings count as 10 or 0; and Aces count as 1 or 11. When the total face value equals ten or more, only the last digit or the right-hand digit counts as the Point Count of the hand. For example, if the total face value of five cards 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 equals 25, then the Point Count of the hand is 5 points; if the total face value of five cards AKQJ9 (1, 0, 0, 0 and 9) equals 10, then the hand is 0 point. Order of Point Count hands from highest to lowest are 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 point. A hand of higher-ranked Point Count beats another hand of lower-ranked Point Count, i.e., a Player's hand of 9 points beats the Banker's hand of 6 points. Frequently adding up the face value of 5 cards to obtain the value of a count-count hand can sharpen a player's math skill.

A Player's wager may be settled with either one of the following eleven rules:

Rules 1: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Players wager wins and either is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, if the Banker's losing hand is not 0 point, or is paid one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is 0 point. The Rules 1 of Poker Bet yields a house advantage of 2.46%.

Rules 2: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Players wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table if the Banker's losing hand is one of predetermined hands, or one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is not one of the predetermined hands.

Rules 3: If the Banker's hand is 0 point, the Player's wager automatically wins and is paid one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 4: If a Player's hand is one of predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.

Rules 5: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand or if the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, and the Player and the Banker do not have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 6: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's or if the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 points, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, and the Player and the Banker do not have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 points, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 7: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands (a predetermined Player losing tied hand is a predetermined tied hand that is considered as a losing hand to the Player, i.e., the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 4 points, which is considered a losing tied hand to the Player), the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and, the Player and the Banker do not have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.

Rules 8: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a 5% commission.

Rules 9: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a predetermined percent commission.

Rules 10: If a Banker's hand is one of predetermined hands, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 11: If a Banker's hand is one of predetermined hands, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.

The game rules that are disclosed earlier is Version I of the present invention. Based on the Version I of the present invention, one or more other versions can be created within the scope of the Version I of the present invention. The other versions consists of Version II and Version III of the Present Invention.

Version II: Version II of the Present Invention is a version that consists of the game rules that a Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses if the Player's Hand and/or the Banker's Hand has a Hand Of Straight, Flush, Or Straight Flush.

The object of the game is to have a hand that outranks the Banker's hand. In this game, a Player's hand is compared to the Banker's hand according to Pair Magic Rankings, which are ranked in descending order as follows:

Rank Hand 1. 4 of a Kind 2. Full House 3. 3 of a Kind 4. Two Pair 5. One Pair 6. Point Count (no pair, from highest 9 points down to lowest 0 point)

A Player's wager may be settled with either one of the following eight rules:

Rules 1: If the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid either Even Money, namely 1 to 1, if the Banker's losing hand is not 0 point, or one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is “0” point.

Rules 2: If the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and the Banker's hand is not “0” point, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Banker's hand is “0” point, the Player's wager wins even the Player's hand is also “0” point and is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, if the Banker's hand is not “0” point.

Rules 3: If the Banker's hand is a predetermined hand or lower, the Player's wager wins and is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same and the Banker's hand is not one of predetermined hands, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 4: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands (a predetermined Player losing tied hand is a predetermined tied hand that is considered as a losing hand to the Player), the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and, the Player and the Banker do not have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 5: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's or if the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and, the Player and the Banker do not have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 6: If the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a 5% commission

Rules 7: If the Player's hand and/or the Banker's hand is Straight, Flush or Straight Flush, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a predetermined percent commission.

Version III: Version III of the Present Invention is a Version that includes the Ranks of Straight, Flush, Straight Flush and Royal Flush in the Present Invention.

The object of the game is to have a hand that outranks the opponent's hand. In this game, a Player's hand is compared to the Banker's hand according to the rankings called “Pair Magic Rankings,” wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows:

Rank Hand 1. Royal Flush 2. Straight Flush 3. 4 of a Kind 4. Full House 5. Flush 6. Straight 7. 3 of a Kind 8. Two Pair 9. One Pair 10. Point Count (no pair, from highest 9 points down to lowest 0 point)

A Player's wager may be settled with either one of the following nine rules:

Rules 1: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table if the Banker's losing hand is one of predetermined hand or hands, or one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is not one of the predetermined hand or hands.

Rules 2: If a Player's hand is one of predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.

Rules 3: If a Banker's hand is one of predetermined hands, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1.

Rules 4: If a Banker's hand is one of predetermined hands, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.

Rules 5: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands (a predetermined Player losing tied hand is a predetermined tied hand that is considered as a losing hand to the Player, i.e., the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 4 points, which is considered a losing tied hand to the Player), the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and, the Player and the Banker do not have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid either according to a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.

Rules 6: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a 5% commission.

Rules 7: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a predetermined percent commission. 

1. A method of playing a card game in which at least Player competes against a Banker, comprising the steps of: (a) placing a wager; (b) dealing five cards to the Player comprising the Player's hand; (c) dealing five cards to the Banker comprising the Banker's hand; (d) determining whether the Player's wager wins, loses or ties, wherein the Player's hand is compared to the Banker's hand according to a rankings, wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows; 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and Point Count; wherein 4 of a Kind, Full House, 3 of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair are ranked and compared as conventional poker hands; wherein Point Count hands are ranked in descending order as follows: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 point; and (e) settling the Player's wager against the Banker.
 2. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and either is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, if the Banker's losing hand is not 0 point, or is paid one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is 0 point.
 3. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table if the Banker's losing hand is one of predetermined hands, or one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2, if the Banker's losing hand is not one of the predetermined hands.
 4. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Banker's hand is 0 point, the Player's wager automatically wins and is paid one half of the Player's wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not 0 point, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to
 1. 5. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If a Player's hand is one of predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid one half of the wager, namely 1 to 2; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.
 6. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand or if the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, and the Player and the Banker do not have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 points, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to
 1. 7. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's or if the Player and the Banker have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 points, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, and the Player and the Banker do not have a tied hand of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 points, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to
 1. 8. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's hand, or if the Player and the Banker have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, and the Player and the Banker do not have one of the predetermined Player losing tied hands, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table.
 9. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a 5% commission.
 10. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand rank the same, then two hands tie and the Player's wager neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to 1, less a predetermined percent commission.
 11. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If a Banker's hand is one of predetermined hands, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid Even Money, namely 1 to
 1. 12. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the Player's wager is settled against the Banker as follows: If a Banker's hand is one of predetermined hands, or if the Player's hand and the Banker's hand ranks the same, then the Player's wager is a push and neither wins nor loses; if the Player's hand ranks lower than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager loses; if the Player's hand ranks higher than the Banker's and the Banker's hand is not one of the predetermined hands, the Player's wager wins and is paid according to either a predetermined payout odds or a predetermined pay table. 